Talking-toy mechanism



F. EVANS TALKING TOY MECHANISM Nov. 30 1926. 1,609,073

Filed Maren 21, 1923 INVENTOR. A

I FRED EVANJ.

.nrrommx Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STAT-Es;

mam PATENT OFFICE.

FRED EVANS, OF SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNC'R, MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO -VOICES INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF DELAWVARE.

TALKING-TOY MECHANISM.

Application filed March 21, 1923. Serial No. 626,500.

V talking dolls.

One object of this invention is to provide a sound producing device ofthe class described, which will emit a sound closely simulating the cryof a child, and which at the same time may be cheaply constructed, andrugged enough to withstand the rough usage to which such devices areordinarily subjected.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide a new and improvedsound producing device of the class described, which shall be simple andeifective in construction, so arranged that the device will emit a soundclosely simulating the cry of a child, and which at the same time shallbe capable of enunciating distinct syllables if desired.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific thanthose referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed outin the course of the following description, and the scope of protectioncontemplated will be indicated in the appended claims. I

lVith reference to the-drawings in which there is shown a preferred formof embodiment of this invention, the single figure is a view partiallyin vertical cross-section of the device. 1

With reference now to the drawing in h which similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout the views thereof, thereference character 1 refers'to a casing made of some light. cheapmaterial such as cardboard, fibre or the like, this casing beingpreferably of cylindrical. form and having one end closed by a head 2which is provided with an aperture 3.

Mounted intermediate the ends of the casing is a second head a, andbetween the peripheral edges of the head 4 and the inner walls of thecasing is clamped the marginal edge 5 of a circumferentially creasedtubular bellows 6. The free end of the bellows is clamped between a disc7 and a suitableweight 8, the latter. preferablyv being made of castlead or some similar material thus forming a compressible air chamber;Positioned over an aperture '9 which passes through the head 4 is achamber 10 in which is mounted areed pipe having a reed 11,. the reedpipe extending through the wall of this chamber and into a secondchamber 12 which lies adjacent thereto. The chamber 12 is provided witha tubular ex tension or passageway 18 which is open at its outer end,and disposed through the wall of the extension 13 at a point near itsopen end is a side opening ororifice 14. Y

The weight 8 is provided with a centrally disposed rod 15 which extendsfrom one end of the bellows to the other,passing through the head andhaving positioned at its outer end a closed tube 16 whichmakes a fairlytight sliding fit with the interior walls of. the extension 13. The tube16, which serves the purpose of a valve, is provided with spaced sideopeningstor apertures 17 and 18 on the side wall thereof, theseapertures or orifices being so positioned as to register with theorifice 14 as will later be described. provided with asecond pair ofapertures 19.

It will be understood that sound produc ing devices of this characterare designedv primarily for use in the socalled talking dolls. thedevice here described being intended for use in a talking doll and beingcommercially known as a voice. This voice is to be concealed within thebody of At its upper end, the tube is disposed within the body of thedoll that when the doll is made to recline. the weight will be in theposition shown in the drawing, the bellows being fully distended. and atthe instant the reclining position is assumed,

the weight will be free'to move under the influence of gravityto'colla-pse the bellows.

When the weight starts to move downwardly. the bellows will collapse andforce air from the aperture 9 into the reed chamber 19 andthe reed pipe,and thence into the chamber 12, the compressed air also entering theclosed tube 16 through the apertures 18 and 19. As this air, however, isnot per mitted to pass into the atmosphere except by slight leekage, nosound will be produced by the reed. However, as the weight movesdownwardly, it will move with it the closed tubular piston valve 16until finally the aperture 17 will register with the orifice 14,

whereupon a volume of air will be expelled into the atmosphere, thuscausing a distinct cry. The continued downward movement of the weightwill finally cause the aperture 17 to pass out of registry with theorifice lt. whereupon the air expelled from the bellows will beprevented from rapidly exhausting into the atmosphere and the sound fromthe reed will be stopped.

The further movement of the weight, however, will eventually bring theaperture 18 into registry with the orifice 14, whereupon the air whichhas entered the tube through the apertures 19 will now be permitted topass rapidly into the atmosphere, thus producing a second cry. Therelative location of the various ports will be so designated as to causethese cries to succeed each other rapidly, this resulting in a distinctma-ma sound.

hen the second port or aperture in the tube 16 has passed out ofregistry with the orifice 14, no further sound will be emitted and atthis time the bellows will be nearly completely collapsed. The doll willthen be raised to the upright position whereupon the action of gravitywill be to draw the weight to its outer limit of travel so as to distendthe bellows and cause the parts to assume their original relations. Asthe bellows is distended, air will be drawn into the interior thereofthrough the orifice and the ports in the tubes, but during this intakeof air no sound will be produced inasmuch as the vibrating member of thereed is so positioned that it will be forced. from its seat. In theupright position of the doll, however, the weight will be prevented fromcausing the collapse of the bellows and will onlybe released when thedoll is made to recline.

lVhile I have shown a means for regulating the emitted sound whichcauses the enunciation of two distinct syllables, it will be clear thatvarious other forms of tube provided with ports by apertures which areto register with the sound orifice may be prm vided so that a singlesyllable or various combinations of syllables, short or long, may beemitted. Obviously, the reed will be selected so as to give a highpitched cry and when the device is used, it will produce a sound closelysimulating the cry of an infant.

As will be seen, the head 4: is positioned well within the casing sothat all the working parts are sheltered and protected. It will be. seenfurther that the device consists of a few moving parts, none of whichare expensive to manufacture, and that these parts are not likely to getout of order or to be worn out. The bellows will be made or dinarily ofa cheap water-proof material such as a rubberized or otherwise treatedfabric and the other parts, with the exception of the reed and the rod,may be constructed of molded fibre or other similar materials.

It will be seen that I have provided a device well adapted to attain theobjects and aims set forth. As has been explained, the characteristicsof the sound may be varied at will by simply adjusting other forms ofaperture tubes in position on the rod.

As many changes could be made in this construction without departingfrom the scope of the following claims, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsshall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the class described, comprising, in combination, soundproducing means including a collapsible air chamber and means to controlthe communication of said sound producing means with the atmosphere,said controllin means including a chamber having a tubular extensiontherefrom, said extension being provided with an orifice through thewalls thereof, a tube having its outer end closed mounted within saidextension, said tube being provided with spaced apertures adapted toregister successively with said orifice whereby to place said soundproducing means in communication with the atmosphere, said tube beingmoved past said orifice by the collapse of said air chamber.

2. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a casing,a head mounted intermediate the ends thereof, means to produce a blastof air mounted on one face of said head, sound producing means on theother face of said head in C0111- munication with said first namedmeans, and means to control the communication of said sound producingmeans with the atmosphere, said last named means including a c iamberprovided with an orifice and tube having a closed endand provided withspaced apertures adapted to be brought suc cessively into registry withsaid orifice, said tube being movable past said orifice by the operationof said blast producing means.

3. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a casing,a head intermediate the ends thereof, a bellows on one face of said headand having a weight at its free end, a reed chamber on the other face ofsaid head in communication with the interior of said bellows, an orificechamber mounted on said head in communication with said reed chamberthrough said reed, and said orifice chamber having a tubular extensionfrom the wall thereof, said tubular extension being provided with alaterally disposed orifice, a tube having a closed outer end disposedwithin said extension and provided with spacedapertures adapted to bebrought successively into registry with said orifice and a rod uponwhich said tube is mounted, said rod being at tached at its other end tosaid weight whereby the movement of said weight will place said reedinto communication with the atmosphere as said apertures register withsaid orifice.

4. A device of the class described comprising, in combination, a casing,a head intermediate the ends thereof, a bellows on one face of said headand having a weight at its free end, a reed chamber on the other face ofsaid head in communication with the interior of said bellows, an orificechamber mounted on said head in communication with said reed chamberthrough said reed, said orifice chamber having a tubular eX- tensionprovided with a laterally disposed orifice, a rod attached to saidweight having its other end disposed centrally of said extension and atube mounted on said rod and lying within said extension, said tubehaving a closed outer end'\ and a plurality of spaced apertures disposedso as to be brought successively into registry with said orifice wherebythe collapse and distension of said bellows will cause said tube to bemoved past said orifice.

5. A device of the class described having in combination, a compressibleair chamber, a reed pipe associated therewith and operated by air forcedtherethrough upon operation of said compressible air chamber, a tubularpassageway through which the sound from the reed pipe is adapted toissue and a tubular valve through which the sound from the reed pipe isadapted to issue, said valve sliding in said passageway, and meansoperating said valve as the compressible air chamber is operated.

6. A device of the class described having in combination, a compressibleair chamber, a reed pipe associated therewith and operated by air forcedtherethrough upon operation of said compressible air chamber, a tubularpassageway through which the sound from the reed pipe is adapted toissue and a tubular valve through which the sound from the reed pipe isadapted to issue, the tubular part of said valve having a sliding fitwith the inside of the tubular passageway, and means actuating saidvalve responsive to the operation of said compressible air chamber.

7. A device of the class described having in combination, a compressibleair chamber, a reed pipe associated therewith and operated by air forcedtherethrough upon opera tion of said compressible air chamber, a tubularpassageway having a side opening through which the sound from the reedpipe is adapted to issue, a tubular piston valve operating in saidpassageway, said valve having an orifice cooperating with said sideopening, and means operating said valve as the compressible air chamberis operated. S. A device of the class described having in combinationtwo heads, a bellows, one end of the bellows being connected to one headand th other end of the bellows being connected to the other head, oneof said heads being weighty and movable toward and from the other headby gravity to compress and distend the bellows, a reed pipe associatedwith one of said heads and operated by air forced therethrough uponoperation of the bellows, a tubular passageway through which the soundfrom the reed pipe is adapted to pass, a hollow tubular piston valveslidable back and forth in said passageway, one of said tubular membershaving a side orifice through which the sound from the reed pipe isadapted to issue and the other tubular member having a plurality of sideopenings adapted to register with said orifice as the valve is operated,and means operating said valve responsive to the operation of saidbellows.

9. A device of the class described having in combination a tubularcasing, a tubular bellows therein having a head at one end fixed withrespect to the casing and a weighty head at the other end movable bygravity back and forth in the casing to compress and distend thebellows, a reed pipe associated with one of said heads, and operated byair forced therethrough upon operation of the bellows, a tubularpassageway associated with said head and through which the sound fromthe reed pipe is adapted to pass, a hollow tubular piston valve slidableback and forth in said passageway, one of said tubular members having aside orifice through which the sound from the reed pipe is adapted toissue and the other tubular member having a plurality of side openingsadapted to register with said orifice as the valye is operated, andmeans operating said valve responsive to the operation of said bellows.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

FRED EVANS.

. Certificate of Correction. It is hereby certified that in LettersPatent No. 1,609,073; granted November 30,

' 1926, upon the application of Fred Evans, of Summit, New Jersey, foran improvement in Talking-Toy Mechanism, errors appear in the printedspecification requiring correction as follows: Page 1, line 101, for thenumeral 19 read 10, and line 106, for the misspelled Word leekage readleakage; page 2, line 17, for the Word designated read designed; andthat the said Letters Patent should be read with these correctionstherein that the same may conform to the record of the case in thePatent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 1st day of February, A. D. 1927.

[SEAL] M. J. MOORE,

ATcfti'ng Gammissioner of Patents.

